


When Skies Are Grey

by Havocmantis



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Golden Deer, Post-Timeskip | War Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), Strong Girl Carrying Her Girlfriend, verdant wind
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-10
Updated: 2019-11-10
Packaged: 2021-01-26 15:03:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21376042
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Havocmantis/pseuds/Havocmantis
Summary: Hilda worries that Annette is overworking herself, and tries to convince her to take more breaks, not just because it will allow her to get more done in the long run, but because she deserves to be kinder to herself. Annette's overzealous work ethic is too deeply-entrenched to be fixed overnight, but she finds some much-needed rest in Hilda's arms.
Relationships: Annette Fantine Dominic/Hilda Valentine Goneril
Kudos: 5





	When Skies Are Grey

"Oh! Hilda! Didn't expect to see you here!" Annette said. "Oh! Annette! I did expect to see you here!" Hilda said, "Some time ago, in fact. Did you have trouble with your chores?" "Did I take too long? I'm sorry! I'll try harder next time!" Annette said. "No, that's not it at all, silly," Hilda said, "If anything, I'm the one who should be sorry. I shouldn't have given you more work than you could handle." "Hah! that's not even close to too much work!" Annette said, indignantly, "I could handle twice as much work! Thrice as much!" "I don't doubt you could," Hilda said, "But for how long? You're an incredible person, Annette, but even you have limits. If you push yourself too hard doing chores, then you'll be tired in battle, where it could mean the difference between life and death. And what if, Gods forbid, you were seriously injured? Or even killed?! If I have you doing all the chores, there’d be no one to take your place, and the whole army would grind to a halt! Not to mention, there's no way I could run all this stuff without you by my side!" "I-I'm sorry!" Annette said, “I just wanted to help everyone, but I ended up being selfish, instead. I’ll try harder not to let you down- er, try less hard, I guess.” “Oh, sweetie, you could never let me down!” Hilda said, tenderly, “And I don’t think you’re selfish, it’s the exact opposite! When you aren’t cleaning the stables or tending the garden or buying supplies, you’re training and studying so you can fight harder for everyone else’s sake. You hardly ever rest unless I make you. Why do you think that’s selfish?” “I’m sorry, I-” “Hey,” Hilda said, gently but firmly, as she placed her hand over Annette’s on the table, “You haven’t done anything wrong, Annette. You have nothing to apologize for. I’m not trying to scold you, and I’m really sorry that I came across that way. You overworking yourself doesn’t worry me because you’re my subordinate, or anything dumb like that. It worries me because you’re my friend, and a wonderful girl who deserves better than to waste her life ‘being productive’ and never letting herself have fun. And I know I’m not really… used to helping other people, so I don’t always know the right thing to say, but I hope you give me a chance, all the same. And I can’t help you if I don’t know what’s bothering you.”

  
“Thank you, Hilda,” Annette said, “I really appreciate it. Even if you’re not the most experienced, there’s no one I’d rather rely on than you.” Hilda smiled. Annette said, “I guess the reason that I think I’m being selfish is because…” She hesitated. “I’m sorry, it’s hard to find the right way to say it.” “That’s fine,” Hilda said, “Take all the time you need.” “I guess the problem is that I want to be like Mercie,” Annette said, “But I’m not.” “In what way?” Hilda asked. “Well, Mercie likes helping people. If she sees someone in trouble, she’ll do everything she can to solve their problems, even if they don’t ask. She never smiles brighter than she does when she makes someone else smile,” Annette said. “That doesn’t sound so different from you,” Hilda said, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you frown while I was smiling.” She smiled, and Annette quickly followed suit. “Th-that doesn’t prove anything!” Annette said, flustered, “Anyone would be happy to see a girl as pretty as you smile!” “Of course they would. After all, I don’t think I’ve ever frowned while seeing you smile, either,” Hilda said. Annette blushed. “A-anyway,” she said, “I don’t think I like helping people. I just like feeling useful. Like I’m doing something that matters to someone.“ “Everything you do matters to me, Sunshine,” Hilda said sappily, “Ah, sorry. I didn’t mean to sound like I wasn’t taking you seriously.” “No, it’s fine. Even if it wasn’t completely serious, I know that you meant it, and I really appreciate it,” Annette said, “Because you matter a lot to me, too.” “Awwww, Annette,” Hilda said, “Please keep talking or I’ll start gushing about how cute you are and never stop.” Annette laughed, then took another moment to collect her thoughts. “I guess what I’m trying to say is that I feel like I’m useless when I’m not working, so when I’m working for someone else, I’m only doing it so that I feel better about myself. Wouldn’t that make me selfish? Does that make any sense?”

  
“I think that that would make a lot of sense to a lot of people,” Hilda said, “But it doesn’t make any sense to me. Doing things that make you feel better about yourself isn’t selfish. Hell, doing things that make me feel better is just about the only thing that makes sense to me.” “But you’re listening to my troubles and trying to help when I’m sure there’s plenty you’d rather be doing,” Annette said. “There is nothing in this world that I would rather do than try to make you as happy as you deserve to be, Sunshine,” Hilda said, “Because making you happy makes me happy. And if both of us are happy, why does it matter if it’s selfish or not?” “I don’t know,” Annette said, “But not knowing why it matters doesn’t make it matter any less. I know that I’m not useless or selfish when I work so hard for the greater good, but that doesn’t change how I feel. And I don’t know what will.” “Would a hug help?” Hilda asked. “I think it would,” Annette said.

  
Before Hilda could even stand up, Annette was already sitting in her lap, facing towards her, with her arms around her. “There, there,” Hilda cooed affectionately, as she lovingly ran her fingers through Annette’s hair. Before long, Annette had completely given in to Hilda’s embrace. “Feeling better?” Hilda eventually whispered. There was no response. Hilda chuckled to herself softly. With a practiced maneuver, she stood up, carefully supporting Annette so she didn’t wake up, and carried her to her room. Even as Hilda walked down the stairs, Annette never stirred from her slumber. She must have been exhausted. When she arrived at her room, Hilda gingerly laid Annette down on her bed, which was perfectly made except for the blanket, which she kept on the side so she could more easily tuck Annette in as she slept. After making sure Annette was as warm and cozy as possible, Hilda climbed into bed with her. “Good night,” she whispered, before kissing Annette on the forehead. Despite sleeping soundly as Hilda carried her across Garreg Mach, this woke Annette up. “Huh? Oh, I guess I fell asleep again.” “Feeling better, Sunshine?” Hilda asked. “Yeah,” Annette said, smiling brightly as she hugged Hilda again, “Much better.”


End file.
